


Keep Your Feet On The Ground

by nolsey



Category: the foxhole court
Genre: M/M, also I'm bad with titles, it's a little sad my apologies, just almost, no one dies, sorry I don't really know where they live after they graduate so I just assumed columbia, this is long after tkm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 18:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8024791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nolsey/pseuds/nolsey
Summary: Andrew almost loses Neil, and he's not sure what to do with himself.





	Keep Your Feet On The Ground

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic/one-shot ever so please forgive me if something feels off

Andrew wasn’t particularly fond of heights, but he still liked to stand on rooftops, feeling the wind run through his hair, ruffle his clothes — standing on the ledge made him feel, and sometimes that’s all he needed. With what had happened earlier, he needed to feel something more than anything, but he knew even the rooftops wouldn’t bring the feeling back, not anymore, especially when rooftops reminded him of half-full bottles of vodka, cigarettes and late night kisses snuck in after Neil’s evening practices with Kevin. 

He was back in Palmetto after so long, after years living in Columbia, and on the road going to and from games, Palmetto now felt very strange, especially in light of what brought him there. He hadn’t planned on going back to PSU, even when Neil invited him to go when he was heading there on Dan’s request to check out the new Foxes. Almost every one of Andrew’s past teammates would be there, except for Aaron, Renee and himself — they were either too busy, or couldn’t be bothered, as was Aaron and Andrew’s case. But apparently even Nicky was coming from Germany to pay them all a visit. The only reason Andrew found himself in that damn of a place was because of the call he’d gotten earlier from Matt, “He’s in the hospital… Neil got in an accident, you should come be with him.” was all he got, Matt knew better than to stall with him. With that, he didn’t even bother to look at the cats and rushed out, not giving a flying fuck about driving laws as he ran the few hours over to Palmetto State. When he got to the hospital Neil was still unconscious, and he’d already been out of surgery, though his low heart-rate made Andrew worry. 

He stayed alone with Neil until the monitor started beeping; something was wrong, and he’d been right to worry. Andrew was screaming angrily as the doctors came in, ordering him to get out and let them do their job. Knowing Neil wouldn’t approve and that violence would get him nowhere, he dropped the fist he was aiming at one of the male nurses and reluctantly walked back into the waiting room. He sulked in one of the chairs, refusing to acknowledge the worried state of his past teammates who were also present. 

Andrew wasn’t ready for when the monitor’s beeping became one long, even sound — he knew what that meant, and the truth was just too hard to bear, so he ran to the stairwell before they could give him the news; and breaking the lock on the door that took him to the roof was too easy considering how angry and upset he was. 

He forced his legs all the way to the edge, he needed to feel something, anything, even if just the memories that standing on a rooftop brought him. Andrew looked over the grey skyline as he lit up a cigarette, but instead of taking a drag as he normally would, he let the ashes burn and the smoke creep into his nostrils like Neil used to do because the smoke gave him a sickly pleasing sense of comfort. Andrew thought maybe doing something only Neil did would help somehow, but it did absolutely nothing to ease his nerves at that moment.

He barely acknowledged the loud sound the door made as it was thrown open, a desperate and wild-eyed Nicky coming through it. He didn’t care enough to pay attention to his cousin until he heard the words that came out of his mouth, making Andrew drop his cigarette down onto the street below, “It was a close call, but Neil’s okay, Andrew, Neil’s alive, he almost—” Andrew cut him off with an abrupt “Shut up.” he didn’t need to hear anymore of it, all that really mattered was that Neil Abram Josten was alive. And hearing those rude words made Nicky know his cousin would be okay too.

The older cousin went back inside as Andrew patched himself back up, walking away from the edge and towards the stairwell that would lead back into the hospital, where the person he cared most about in the world lied, awake and alive.

The doctors were hesitant to let Andrew stay in the room with Neil for so long, but the death glare he threw their way was enough to convince them it was better to just leave him be. Neil was awake, but dazed, drugs running through his system to make sure he wouldn’t go down again. The two stayed in silence for a while until Andrew finally said, “I hate you.” It meant the opposite, it always had, and Neil knew it and Andrew hated that he knew it. But Neil wasn’t expecting anything else, it was something so unique to Andrew, so unique to them, that it made him smile; and he knew Andrew was just as glad, if not more, that he was okay. 

“Good, you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon,” Neil answered weakly, his head feeling like cotton because of the drugs, but he wanted to savor as much of Andrew as he could until he eventually had to succumb to sleep. “Good.” was all Andrew said as he squeezed Neil’s hand, not ready to let him go, not after having almost lost him. And there it was, one of the rarest but most beautiful things Neil had ever seen: Andrew’s small, very discreet, but still admiringly warm smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a lot for reading! And comments are welcome and appreciated (any constructive criticism is helpful and welcome too)


End file.
